The Solid State – Solutions

1) Define the term ‘amorphous’. Give a few examples of amorphous solids.

Solution

An amorphous solid consists of particles  of irregular shape.

The arrangement of constituent particles (atom , molecules or ions) in such solids have only short range order, i.e. a regular and periodically repeating pattern is observed only over a short range of distance .

Example: Glass, rubber, plastic, silica, etc.

Glass is an amorphous solid because its components have random arrangement in its structure, and so are rubber, plastic and silica.

2) What makes glass different from a solid such as quartz? Under what conditions could quartz be converted into glass?